Dear Lifehacker,I like to donate money to charities when I can, but it seems like this just opens the door for them to bombard me with junk mail and spam. Is there anything I can do to make donations but not be harassed by charities for the rest of my life? »5/01/14 10:00am 5/01/14 10:00am

The only greater annoyance than junk email is junk postal mail. Not only does it clog your mailbox, but it wastes an awful lot of paper. Luckily, you can cut down on this junk. Here are a few tips. »4/29/14 4:00am 4/29/14 4:00am

I unknowingly conducted an experiment two years ago. My husband and I love to travel, and I wanted to sign onto one of those credit card offers that gives you free airfare. So as each offer came in the mail, I added it to a stack on my desk. »1/17/14 6:00am 1/17/14 6:00am

When retailers ask you for your ZIP code at checkout, it seems innocuous: Maybe they're just trying to see where customers are coming from. Forbes reveals, however, that the five-digit number can actually get your personal information (including address and phone number) added to consumer marketing databases. »6/19/13 9:30am 6/19/13 9:30am

Have you ever peered into your spam folder on Gmail and wondered how and why those 600 messages were marked as spam? Gmail now provides you with an explanation for how those messages ended up there so you can better understand them. »3/20/12 6:00am 3/20/12 6:00am

Email inboxes can get full of newsletters, subscriptions, and other useless junk pretty easily. Just because you ordered a sweater three years from a store doesn't mean you need to continue getting a catalog from the company. Unsubscribr scans your email box for newsletters and unsubscribes you quickly and easily. »3/01/12 6:00am 3/01/12 6:00am

iOS/Android/WP7: Nobody likes junk mail, but if you're too lazy to go through and unsubscribe to everything individually, PaperKarma is a new app that only requires you to take a picture of the offending mail to remove yourself from the junk mail database. »2/10/12 7:00am 2/10/12 7:00am

Our lives are filled with spam. It has many names and comes in many forms, from email to snail mail to text messages and more. With the help of technology, as well as some clever thinking, it's not too difficult to filter out all the unwanted crap in your life. Here's how to do it. »1/23/12 8:00am 1/23/12 8:00am

Google Voice, among other services, provides a free phone number and voicemail services which is great if you need them for making/receiving calls and messages. Even if you don't, there are still plenty of creative and unusual uses for a free voicemail account. Here are some of our favorites. »1/09/12 12:30pm 1/09/12 12:30pm

Reddit user enthros discovered a very effective and simple way to destroy unwanted advertisements in your inbox: filter on the word "unsubscribe". This is because pretty much every newsletter and advertisement is required to have some sort of text that provides instructions on how to unsubscribe. The problem with this… »9/06/11 12:30pm 9/06/11 12:30pm

In light of recent events, many of you may be concerned about an onslaught of SPAM email. Here's how to fight back and keep your inbox clean, regardless of what service you use and how you check your mail. »12/15/10 3:30pm 12/15/10 3:30pm

Junk mail, the original spam, can be a good deal trickier to keep at bay than other unwanted messages. You can't stop it entirely, but you can chop down the major offenders with some helpful opt-out tools. »9/27/10 6:00am 9/27/10 6:00am

Which big targets or useful utilities did we miss? Hit us up with ideas in the comments and we'll update the post.

Firefox only (Windows/Mac/Linux): Firefox extension Less Spam, Please adds an item to your right-click context menu to automatically generate an anonymous, disposable email address so you can try out a new service without fear of spam. »7/30/10 3:00pm 7/30/10 3:00pm

Tired of opening your mailbox to an avalanche of paper catalogs? Catalog Choice is a free service that helps you cut back on or eliminate the free magazines that cram your mailbox. »2/17/10 11:00am 2/17/10 11:00am